Hydrogen producer Air Products has been selected through Carburos Metálicos, its Spanish subsidiary, as the official hydrogen supplier of the 37th Copa América de Vela to be held in Barcelona in 2024. In this edition, hydrogen will be used for the first time. to drive the ‘chase boat’ or tracking boat that accompanies the AC75 competition sailboat in the regatta. Every America’s Cup team must have a hydrogen-powered advanced boat.

“Air Products is proud to collaborate with Copa América on this groundbreaking project to show at a world event how renewable hydrogen can help decarbonize ocean travel,” emphasized Air Products’ Europe and Africa president, Ivo Bols. The goal, according to the Generalitat de Catalunya, is to use the event to promote “a new economic sector in Catalonia with decarbonized ocean liners working on environmentally friendly hydrogen”. Specifically, the agreement includes Copa América’s commitment to transfer to Acció the technological know-how generated by the competition in the field of green hydrogen to promote the industrialization of this technology.

Air Products has installed a portable hydrogen generator at the port of Barcelona

Team Emirates New Zealand’s ‘Chase Zero’ (zero emission tracking boat) will be the first to use hydrogen during the preliminary race. The rest of the team will use hydrogen fuel cell tracking boats next year starting with the final preliminary regatta in Barcelona, ​​​​during the ‘Challenger Selection Series’, which will take place in 2024. To meet the hydrogen needs of the event, Air Products has installed a portable hydrogen generator in the port of Barcelona, ​​where the company’s technicians would fuel the ship during the competition.

“When we first dreamed of bringing a hydrogen-powered boat to the America’s Cup, we knew we had pushed the limits of current technology and needed partnerships with companies like Air Products to get the hydrogen-related infrastructure that didn’t exist yet. in the maritime sector”, emphasized the CEO of the America’s Sailing Cup, Grant Dalton. The team is currently preparing for the preliminary regatta which will start on September 14 and will serve as a preliminary phase before the ‘Challenger Selection Series’ which will start in August 2024 and which includes teams from France, Italy, Switzerland, England and the United States will compete to determine who will challenge defending champions Emirates Team New Zealand.